Feature Race | Auction | Breeding | General | Hall of Fame | Harness | Interviews | Mixed Breed | New Players | Racing | Site Updates | Steeplechasing | Steward's Cup | Triple Crown
Kittens Roars in Steward's Cup Juvenile Turf
Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 13 years 3 weeks agoThe winner of the $1 million Grade I Steward’s Cup Juvenile Turf duplicated his sire’s feat with that victory.
Kittens raced boldly from the start and in the stretch proved to be too tough for the rest of the field, defeating Got Talent by a length to win the premier mile turf event in 1:35.79.
His sire, former North American Champion Male Turf Horse Offshore Excursion did the same thing during his own impressive career for his breeder and owner Ashley Gibson. He later went on to capture the Steward’s Cup Turf Mile to cap off a stellar career, before heading off to stud. With his first two crops on the racetrack, he’s sired 10 stakes winners so far, and so far Kittens is his most successful runner, topping the earnings list.
Chani Rizzo, who’s the queen of steeple chasing racing bred and owned this flat racer. He’s out of Kitten’s Joy who only scored one victory in 16 races and had been bred to another miler sire Crystal Magic three times, hoping to find some magic.
But that came from Offshore Excursion although when the handsome grey colt small in stature but not in grit first worked, his times were considered pedestrian at the four furlong distance. Maybe he just wasn’t an early riser or maybe he liked keeping the best of his talent under wraps to spring on the unsuspecting public. At any rate, once Kittens hit the racing circuit, it became crystal clear that he was one to watch. He promptly broke his maiden by 3 ¾ lengths first time out, showing flashy form. He won two stakes including the Benjamin Franklin Stakes last time out over Got Talent.
That colt bred and owned by Jolene Danner is by Star Signs who once finished second in the Steward’s Cup Turf Mile and as a pretty young sire, has sired seven stakes winners. South Pacific Champion Three Year Old Filly Pop Idol (by the great and versatile Star Studded) who also produced Sanjaya who also won the Juvenile Turf during his career. Would Got Talent be so lucky himself?
Gibson also had a very talented colt entered in Forwardly Placed. She picked him up at auction for a very tidy $550,000 and parlayed that purchase into an undefeated campaign into the Juvenile Turf. He’s by African Horse of the Year Astute Scholar, who has been really nice at stud so far, working well with daughters of Acapulco, Monaachi, Six Signs and others. Never In Love (by Palpitations) is the dam and she’s got a brilliant looking yearling, Love From Afar who Gibson also picked up for $875,000.
The turf juvenile races have produced a lot of talent this year and this particular race would prove to be no exception. The nine horse field lined up nicely, as if they were at a cotillion but once the gates opened, the competitive nature of the thoroughbred took over quickly enough. Kittens dashed to the front by ¾ of a length over Worth Hundreds, a $1.205 million purchase by Jamie Newton. Those two colts locked up while Forwardly Placed and Got Talented laid back chilly in sixth and eighth place respectively. What they lacked in maturity, they made up for in raw enthusiasm as the horses charged into the backstretch. Kittens tugged ahead on the reins loosely held by jockey Aaron Fox who swore revenge after some of the jockeys had joked to him about the race not having any jumps.
That bothered the stoic Fox not a bit as he and Rizzo had plotted the race out to the final yard beforehand and they both knew he sat confidently on the winner. In the Public Eye made an audacious move in the backstretch seizing the lead from Kittens by a length while Forwardly Placed and Got Talent remained just off of Worth Hundreds who slipped to third.
Fox nudged Kittens and he moved from a purr to a roar by running at In the Public Eye while Got Talent also kicked it into gear. But Kittens just toyed with them like a pair of catnip mice and seized the victory. Got Talent answered that question by finishing second by a 1 ½ lengths over In the Public Eye who finished third. Forwardly Placed got fourth while Worth Hundreds finished eighth and promptly went up for sale at $4 million.
Kittens received a raucous welcome as he had attracted a fan following and he remains undefeated as he heads into his sophomore season a hot commodity, and a stirring win for Rizzo who’s proven again that she’s formidable over the flat as well as the chase.